Pride Culture Club

William Yang speaking in front of a large seated audience

Pride Culture Club is a space for LGBTQIA+ staff, students, and allies to share our passion for queer culture. We meet every two months to exchange recommendations, hear short presentations from members and invited guests, and attend cultural events in Sydney. We aim to showcase works of art, film, music, and literature which depict and explore the diverse experiences of LGBTQIA+ people, as well as works by queer creators.

A joint initiative of the Pride Network and the Library’s LGBTQIA+ Ally Group, Pride Culture Club is free to join, and participation is open to all staff and students across the University. Join our mailing list to receive updates or express interest in presenting at upcoming events.

Please note that all items on this list are derived from the recommendations of our members. The University of Sydney Library can only provide access to resources held in our collections.

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27 November 2024

26 September 2024

25 July 2024: Conservatorium of Music

30 May 2024: Qtopia excursion

24 April 2024: lesbian poetry salon

28 March 2024

26 October 2023

31 August 2023

29 June 2023: William Yang

27 April 2023

27 November 2024

A colour photograph showing Professor Vince Mitchell (a white man wearing a black suit and rainbow bow tie) presenting to a room full of people. The projection screens behind him are displaying a slide with the words "Who is your LGBTQIA++ icon?", and the room is decorated with rainbow pride flags

A photograph showing Lauren Mills (a fair skinned person with glasses) presenting to a room full of people. The projection screens behind them are displaying a slide reading "Transformation and Fluidity". In the foreground, someone is holding a rainbow fan.

A photograph showing Jay Boyd (a young man with blond hair and glasses) presenting to a room full of people. The projection screens behind him are displaying his name, and the room is decorated with rainbow pride flags.

A colour photograph showing Vince Mitchell (a white man wearing a black suit and a rainbow bow tie) presenting at a lectern decorated with a progress pride flag.

Vince 1
Lauren
Jay 2
Jay 1
Vince 2

Lauren Mills (Assistant Librarian, Research Analytics) presented "Bury Your Gays (Deep, They Might Come Back)", an exploration of queer themes in horror. They discussed the influence of the LGBTQIA+ community on macabre fiction throughout time, and how exploring the horror genre helped them to understand their own queerness.

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) by Mary Shelley
Jennifer's Body (2009) directed by Karyn Kusama
"Frankenstein Comes to Life at Columbia" (2018) by Gary Shapiro in Columbia News
"What 'Jennifer's Body' Foretold" (2021) by Richard Brody in The New Yorker

Undergraduate arts and linguistics student Jay Boyd discussed the French graphic novel Gender Flou (2022) by Thamos le Thermos. An autobiographical account of the author's journey in discovering their transmasculine and non-binary gender identity, Gender Flou is funny, whimsical, vulnerable, and authentic by turns.

Gender Flou (2022) by Thamos le Thermos

Vince Mitchell (Professor of Marketing) presented findings from his research on queer celebrity culture and consumer behaviour. He is interested in understanding what inspires people, and why the likes of Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga, Judy Garland, the Golden Girls, Elton John, and Joan of Arc have become iconic and beloved figures in the LGBTQIA+ community.

26 September 2024

A colour photograph showing Alexandra Angus (a white woman with glasses and long brunette hair in a ponytail) presenting to a room full of people. The projection screens behind her are displaying Frida Kahlo's "Two Nudes in a Forest" and the room is decorated with rainbow pride flags

A colour photograph showing Victor Wu, a Chinese Australian man, smiling and presenting to a room full of people. The projection screens behind him are displaying a still from his film To Freely Flourish, and the room is decorated with rainbow pride flags

Alexandra
Victor

Alexandra Angus (a student at the Sydney College of the Arts) shone a spotlight on three LGBTQIA+ artists whose stories and creative practices have inspired her: Jes Fan, Félix González-Torres, and Frida Kahlo. Inspired by Shelby Criswell's graphic novel Queer As All Get Out, she also presented an original illustration for each artist.

Queer As All Get Out (2021) by Shelby Criswell
Two Nudes in a Forest (1939) by Frida Kahlo
Viva la Vida, Watermelons (1954) by Frida Kahlo
Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) (1991) by Félix González-Torres
Untitled (Perfect Lovers) (1991) by Félix González-Torres
Milk of Dreams (2022) by Jes Fan
Palimpsest (2023) by Jess Fan

Pride Culture Club attendees were then treated to an intimate screening of To Freely Flourish 綻放, a short film by University of Sydney alumnus Victor Wu, which explores how members of the Chinese Australian diaspora grappled with questions of identity, self-expression, culture, and community against the backdrop of the 2017 marriage equality debate. Afterwards, Victor spoke about the power of queer representation, diaspora storytelling, and amateur artmaking.

To Freely Flourish 綻放 (2024) written and directed by Victor Wu

25 July 2024

A colour photograph showing an a capella group (comprising 13 people) performing to a live audience. Behind them is a display screen that reads "GAYS AGAINST INSTRUMENTS".

A colour photograph showing Caitlin Erbacher (a white woman with brunette hair and glasses) singing and playing acoustic guitar in front of an audience.

A colour photograph showing a Latina woman with brunette hair and glasses singing and playing acoustic guitar in front of a live audience. Behind her is a large display screen that reads "DANIELA ARAYA".

A colour photograph showing two Asian men performing in front of an audience. One of the men (Bohan) is singing and wearing virtual reality goggles and a lab coat. The other (Terry) is playing electric guitar and wearing a light pink hoodie.

A colour photograph showing Aleks Matic (a white man with platinum blonde hair) singing into a microphone in front of an audience.

Gays against instruments
Caitlin
Daniela
Bohan
Aleks

In July 2024, Pride Culture Club burst onto the stage at the Conservatorium of Music for a queer musical extravaganza featuring live performances by staff and students from across the University of Sydney.

Caitlin Erbacher works in the Library and moonlights as a folk musician. She performed a combination of original compositions and covers by her favourite sapphic singer-songwriters, including boygenius and Anaïs Mitchell.
Daniela Araya is a singer-songwriter from Chile and a student at the Conservatorium of Music. She shared several original acoustic songs exploring her identity as a lesbian and her experiences as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Bohan Zhu is a postgraduate commerce student and an artist from China. He creates indie and electronic music inspired by the rhythms and sensory details of queer erotic experience.
Aleks Matic is a singer-songwriter and music producer who makes EDM pop songs that are both personal and reflective of the world around him, specifically his experiences growing up as a queer person in the suburbs of Sydney.
Gays Against Instruments are an a cappella collective born out of BarberSoc, who made their debut at a concert for Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2024. In their first Pride Culture Club appearance, they performed a variety of modern songs arranged by their members, with a focus on LGBTQ+ themes and artists, as well as original compositions written by members of the group.

30 May 2024

A photograph looking out across Taylor Square from Qtopia, in Darlinghurst, Sydney. In the foreground is a sign that reads "Qtopia Sydney: The Substation" and in the background are trees, a busy city street, and buildings. The Courthouse Hotel's sign is rainbow to indicate that it is a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community.

A photograph showing a group of people in a brightly lit exhibition space. On the right hand side of the frame, Jeremy Smith (a white man with blonde hair and glasses) is speaking while the rest of the people in the room look and listen. One the back wall is a large, brightly coloured and very detailed artwork - Jeremy Smith's "Queer Sydney: A History"

A photograph showing a group of people in a brightly lit exhibition space. On the right hand side of the frame, a white man with blonde hair and glasses is speaking and gesturing towards one of the display cases while the rest of the people in the room look and listen. In the backgroud, several mannequins wearing brightly coloured and sequinned drag costumes can be seen.

A photograph of an exhibition featuring 6 mannequins in brightly coloured and sequinned drag costumes. Of the three which facing the camera, are the one on the left is wearing a loose fitting rainbow dress, the one in the middle is wearing a black and white sequinned evening gown, and the one on the right is wearing a blue jacket and pants made out of IKEA bags. People are standing around the display looking at it and other things in the room.

Spanning four distinct sites, Qtopia Sydney is the largest centre for queer history and culture anywhere in the world. Following its much-anticipated opening in February 2024, Qtopia launched a series of exhibitions guided by five major themes: HIV/AIDS, human rights, sexuality and identity, media representation, and First Nations stories.

In May 2024, Pride Culture Club members were treated to a private tour of Qtopia’s inaugural exhibition program conducted by Curatorial Director George Savoulis and visual artist and curator Jeremy Smith.

24 April 2024

A photograph showing a fair-skinned person with long brown hair and glasses presenting at a lectern to an attentive audience. In the background is an LGBTQIA+ pride progress flag and a projector screen showing a presentation slide that reads "Poetry Saloon: open mic"

A photograph showing a fair-skinned person with short hair presenting at a lectern. In the background is a projector screen showing a presentation slide with the heading "Fragment 1: Ode to Aphrodite"

A photograph showing a fair-skinned person with long blonde hair presenting at a lectern to an attentive audience. In the background is a LGBTQIA+ pride progress flag and a projector screen showing a presentation slide that reads "Poetry Saloon: open mic"

A photograph showing a fair-skinned person with short hair presenting at a lectern. In the foreground is an audience of several dozen people listening attentively to the speaker. In the background is a projector screen showing a presentation slide that reads "Poetry Saloon: open mic"

To celebrate Lesbian Day of Visibility, in April 2024, Pride Culture Club took the form of a sapphic poetry salon.

Lily Stokes (Project Coordinator, Domestic Recruitment and Access, Sydney Future Students) opened the evening with a reading of Sappho's Fragment 31, sometimes known as the Ode to Anactoria.

Fragment 31: Ode to Anactoria (c. 7th/6th century BCE) by Sappho

Alexandra Pinkham (PhD candidate, Classics and Ancient History) delivered a presentation on "lesbian poetry's OG" Sappho, including a close analysis of Fragments 1 and 31.

Fragments 1 and 31 (c. 7th/6th century BCE) by Sappho

Fiona Lawrence (Research Administration Officer, Sydney School of Public Health) gave a touching reading of a poem that they read at their wedding to spouse Liz Kenna.

Finally, Love Poem (2014) by Alix Olson

Phoebe Adams (Assistant Librarian, Medicine and Health) recited three of Emily Dickinson's poems from memory.

I Had Been Hungry, All the Years (1891) by Emily Dickinson
Come Slowly, Eden! (1890) by Emily Dickinson
Wild Nights – Wild Nights! (1891) by Emily Dickinson

Sally Chik (Manager, Academic Services, Library) shared an original poem exploring her coming out journey.

"The Open Closet" (2019) by Sally Chik in FourW Thirty: New Writing

We were treated to a variety of impromptu readings (including original compositions) during the open mic segment of the evening.

28 March 2024

Joanna Lamb and Ali Asghar Shah shared their experiences as co-founders and directors of EnQueer, Sydney's only writers' festival dedicated to queer voices. After a highly successful virtual debut in 2021, EnQueer has showcased over 120 queer writers at in-person festivals and events, including Sydney WorldPride in 2023.

Hugh O'Keefe shared stories from his two memoirs, Palely Loitering and Telling Tales. Hugh is a legend of the LGBTQIA+ community of 1960s-80s Sydney, during which time he juggled two careers: primary school teacher and entertainer.

He is perhaps most well known as the resident pianist at the iconic Albury Hotel's cocktail lounge. Following his Pride Culture Club appearance, Hugh generously gifted signed copies of his books to the Rare Books and Special Collections Library.

Palely Loitering: Growing Up Gay in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and Beyond (2019) by Hugh O’Keefe
Telling Tales: Likely and Unlikely Stories from a Lucky Life (2024) Hugh O’Keefe

26 October 2023

Rafael Franca Dutra introducing the speakers

Ren Kotapati presenting in front of an audience

Anderson Chang presenting in front of a crowd

Daniel Smith presenting in front of an audience

Ren Kotapati (Learning and Development Consultant) spoke about androgynous and non-binary gender presentation in ancient icons and artefacts. After visiting the “Feared and Revered” exhibition at the Australian National Museum in Canberra, she was inspired to learn more about how LGBTQIA+ representation has changed over the years in historical art.

Anderson Chang (Graphic Designer, Business School) presented a review of queer podcasts, including his own podcast We Have No Shame.

The Read (2013) hosted by Kid Fury and Crissle
Like a Virgin (2021) hosted by Fran Tirado and Rose Dommu
Attitudes! (2022) hosted by Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi
Las Culturistas (2016) hosted by Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
We’re Having Gay Sex (2020) hosted by Ashley Gavin
Food 4 Thot (2017) hosted by Denne Michele Norris, Joseph Osmundson, Tommy Pico, and Fran Tirado
We Have No Shame (2019) hosted by Anderson Chang and Ashley Curry

Daniel Smith (Project Manager, Disability Inclusion Action Plan) spoke about the power of representation in storytelling, discussing some of the book titles that accompanied his coming out journey.

Holding the Man (1995) by Timothy Conigrave
Holding the Man (2015) directed by Neil Armfield
Loaded (1995) by Christos Tsiolkas
Head On (1998) directed by Ana Kokkinos
Blue Heaven (2002) by Joe Keenan
The Front Runner (1974) by Patricia Nell Warren
When You Don’t See Me (2007) by Timothy James Beck

31 August 2023

Levent Sahin presenting in front of an audience

Kade Fenwick presenting in front of the crowd

Dominic Hearne presenting in front of a crowd

Chris Pepin-Neff presenting in front of an audience

Kade Fenwick (Diversity and Inclusion Consultant) spoke about Chrissy Amphlett, the legendary frontwoman of Australian rock band Divinyls, and her impact on their own coming out journey.

Boys in Town music video (1981) by Divinyls
I Touch Myself Project (2014)

Dominic Hearne (Sessional Academic, School of Education and Social Work) spoke about the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, which is often credited with launching the LGBTQIA+ choral movement.

Creep live performance (2019) by San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus
Can You Feel the Love Tonight live performance (2015) by San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus
Silent Night live performance (2012) by San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus
San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus: The First 44 Years! (2022) by San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus
"A Social and Historical Perspective of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus" (2008) by Russell E. Hilliard in Journal of Homosexuality 54(4) 345–361
"Telling LGBTQ+ Stories through Choral Music: A Case Study of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus" (2021) by Kevin C. Schattenkirk in Canadian Journal for Traditional Music 48, 60–XXIII

Levent Sahin (Academic Liaison Librarian, Conservatorium, Architecture, and Business) spoke about Schitt's Creek, Heartstopper, and the power of depicting queer joy on television.

Schitt’s Creek (2015) created by Dan and Eugene Levy
Heartstopper (2022) created by Alice Oseman
"Exploring Queer Refuge in Poetry, Literature, and Pop Culture" (2022) by Nicole Foss in University of Wyoming ProQuest Dissertations Publishing
"Queer Cinema, Queer Writing, Queer Criticism" (2015) by Lucas Hilderbrand in The Cambridge Companion to American Gay and Lesbian Literature
"Upending the Status Quo: Power-Sharing and Community Building in Schitt’s Creek" (2020) by Katharine Schaab in Critical Studies in Television 15(2) 148–161
"'Young, gay people being out and happy? It’s revolutionary!’ Meet the Heartstopper generation; From footballer Jake Daniels coming out to trans actor Yasmin Finney being cast in Doctor Who, it feels like there has been a turning point in Generation Z’s queer experience. But how much have things really changed?" (2022) by Michael Segalov in The Guardian

Chris Pepin-Neff (Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Government and International Relations) spoke about their podcast Shark Bites and Gay Rights, which delves into the role of emotion in public policymaking.

Shark Bites and Gay Rights (2023) hosted by Chris Pepin-Neff

29 June 2023

Pronoun badges and pride bracelets on a white platter

Sasha Bailey speaking in front of a large seated audience

Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Annamarie Jagose speaking in front of a seated audience

People gathered around a table of food and drinks

A pile of books by William Yang, held in the Library's collection

Sasha Bailey (PhD candidate and Research Assistant, Matilda Centre) took us on a tour of the glamour and drama of the television series Pose, which centres on the ballroom scene that emerged among the black and Latino LGBTQIA+ communities of New York City in the 1980s and 90s.

Pose (2018) created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals

Acclaimed photographer William Yang presented a selection of his body of work chronicling the LGBTQIA+ subculture of Sydney in the 1970s and 1980s. Following his Pride Culture Club appearance, Yang generously gifted signed copies of his books to the Rare Books and Special Collections Library.

Sydney Diary: 1974-1984 (1984) by William Yang
Starting Again: A Time in the Life of William Yang (1989) by William Yang
Sadness (1996) by William Yang
Sadness: A Monologue (1999) by William Yang and Tony Ayres
Friends of Dorothy (1997) by William Yang
Visualising AIDS: Images in Art and Design (2000) by William Yang, Raymond Donovan, Leong K. Chan, Jeri Drucker, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, South-East Asian Socio-Graphic AIDS Project, and Australian Socio-Graphic AIDS Project

27 April 2023

Group of Culture Club presenters and organisers standing together

Manager of Rare Books and Special Collections, Julie Sommerfeldt, speaks in front of a crowd

Books on display on a table, including a large Bobby Gold Smith work.

Professor Lee Wallace presenting in front of a seated crowd

Artist Jeremy Smith speaking about his work in front of a crowd

A table of food and drinks, decorated with Pride rainbow flags

At the inaugural Pride Culture Club event, Julie Sommerfeldt (Manager, Rare Books and Special Collections) presented a selection of queer treasures from the Library.

Bibliography of Homosexuality: A Research Guide to the University of Sydney Library (1998) by Gary Simes. Browse the full Simes collection.
It Was a Riot: Sydney’s First Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (1998) by Gary Simes
Homosexuality: Myths and Realities (1982) by Gary Simes and Craig Johnston
A Scarlet Pansy (1952) by Robert Scully
The Voyage Out (1915) by Virginia Woolf. This was Virginia Woolf's personal copy of her first novel The Voyage Out, and includes handwritten and typed edits for her US publisher and US audience. View it online, or in the Rare Books Reading Room.
Honi Soit print and digital archives (1929-present) by University of Sydney Students’ Representative Council
Day of International Gay Solidarity poster (1978) by Gay Solidarity Group
Lesbians on the Loose (1990-2019)

A portfolio of Aubrey Beardsley’s drawings illustrating “Salome” by Oscar Wilde (1894) by Aubrey Beardsley
Haire Collection
Heymanson Collection
Deane Erotica Collection
Uni Sex: A Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviour at Australian Universities (1972) by Wendy Bacon

Jeremy Smith talked us through his artwork Queer Sydney: A History, which was commissioned by the University of Sydney Library in 2022 and now hangs proudly in the main stairwell of Fisher Library.

Queer Sydney: A History (2022) by Jeremy W. Smith

Professor Lee Wallace (Director, Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre) spoke about lesbian visibility and the Wachowskis' 1996 neo-noir crime thriller Bound.

Bound (1996) directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski
"Continuous Sex: The Editing of Homosexuality in Bound and Rope" (2000) by Lee Wallace in Screen 41(4) 369-387

Related information

LGBTQIA+ community Pride Network Celebrating our community at Mardi Gras View a digitised version of 'Queer Sydney: A History'

Contact

Email the Library's LGBTQIA+ Liaison Officers Join the Pride Culture Club mailing list